UIC Experts

U.S.-Cuba Relations: A new national poll scheduled for release this week shows most Americans support policy changes that would lead to more U.S. engagement with Cuba. Maria de los Angeles Torres, UIC professor of Latin American and Latino studies and executive director of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research, can discuss generational changes and other factors behind contemporary Cuba-related opinions. Contact Brian Flood, (312) 996-7681; bflood@uic.edu

Olympic development: Olympic cities usually focus on the games and ignore the aftermath, says Kheir Al-Kodmany, UIC associate professor of urban planning. “Without a clear plan, the huge investment becomes an economic loss that will never be recouped,” he says. Contact Anne Brooks Ranallo, (312) 355-2523; aranallo@uic.edu

Evolution of community clinics: “Community clinics have traditionally focused on primary care, but they need to evolve to meet the needs of the influx of newly insured patients under the ACA seeking care for complex health issues,” said Dr. Robert Winn, associate vice president for community affairs at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System. UI Health’s newest Mile Square Health Center represents a new model of community clinic ready to provide “primary care plus, ” Winn says. Contact Sharon Parmet, (312) 413-2695; sparmet@uic.edu

Unionizing college sports: Robert Bruno, director of Labor Education Program at UIC, says the announcement that football players have petitioned the NLRB to allow them to form a union reflects the reality that big-time college sports are an enormously profitable business. “Young men performing in front of a national television audience and 100,000 paying customers are doing labor,” Bruno says. Contact Jeffron Boynés, (312) 413-8702; jboynes@uic.edu